Kihuen aides seek new jobs after sexual harassment accusation

Rep. Ruben Kihuen’s chief of staff is trying to find jobs for several staff members amid calls from top Democrats that Kihuen step down after an accusation he sexually harassed a campaign staffer last year.

Peter Koltak, Kihuen’s chief of staff, circulated an email to other Democratic offices Tuesday morning with the resumes for what appears to be most, if not all, of the D.C. office staff.

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“I’m hoping to place them all here pretty quickly in other offices,” Koltak wrote in the email, obtained by POLITICO. “If you have openings or you hear of any, I would appreciate your help making those connections. I’m happy to talk with anyone at any time about each person. I would highly recommend any of them.”

The Nevada Democrat is accused of making repeated, unwanted sexual advances toward a campaign staffer during the 2016 election. His office did not return a request for comment Tuesday.

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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on Kihuen to resign after the allegations, which were first reported by BuzzFeed, surfaced Friday.

"In Congress, no one should face sexual harassment in order to work in an office or in a campaign. The young woman’s documented account is convincing, and I commend her for the courage it took to come forward," Pelosi said in a statement after talking with Kihuen. "In light of these upsetting allegations, Congressman Kihuen should resign."

Kihuen, so far, hasn’t publicly indicated he plans to step down and a Democratic operative close to the freshman Democrat told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he had no plans to resign.

Two Democratic aides said the email is not indicative of Kihuen’s intent to resign, saying in any scandal ridden office, staffers often start looking for other jobs as soon as they can.